A thorough and intelligently summarized history of the Soviet Union, from the socio-political origins for the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 to the near end of Mikhail Gorbachev's government, immediately prior to the downfall of "real communism" and the splitting of the USSR. Conducted by British historian Robert Conquest, narrative benefits from a careful research of archive footage and from recent interviews with mostly common who participated in the events.